Hot Topics:

DeLeo: House 'will do better' than level-funding local aid in fiscal 2015

The Lowell Sun

Updated:
01/25/2014 06:35:46 AM EST

By Andy Metzger

State House News Service

BOSTON -- The House will recommend increases in local-aid funding to cities and towns beyond the flat funding offered Wednesday in Gov. Deval Patrick's annual budget proposal, House Speaker Robert DeLeo told municipal officials who gathered for a conference in Boston Friday morning.

"While sources may remain scarce, the House I'm proud to say has always been a champion of local aid," DeLeo told mayors, selectmen and town managers at a Massachusetts Municipal Association meeting. "The administration's budget level-funded local aid over the fiscal year. I will tell you here today, that the House will do better than that."

DeLeo, D-Winthrop, also pledged to once again fund local road money, known as Chapter 90, at $300 million. DeLeo said the House would take up the local road money next week, when debate is scheduled on a multi-year transportation-bond bill that includes the funding.

MMA Executive Director Geoff Beckwith said he was pleased with the commitment.

"We know that he's going to work hard to put together the best possible budget for cities and towns and we're very grateful for that," Beckwith told the News Service.

After his speech, DeLeo said he and House Ways and Means Chairman Brian Dempsey, D-Haverhill, have not determined how to structure the budget to allow for the increases.

Patrick on Wednesday proposed a $100 million increase in Chapter 70 K-12 school aid while level-funding unrestricted local aid, special education, charter-school reimbursements, regional-school transportation and the school food-services program.

Advertisement

Patrick proposed $5.6 billion in local aid as part of his overall $36.4 billion state budget proposal.

With Patrick completing the final year of his term, and Senate President Therese Murray facing a term limit in March 2015, DeLeo will be the only member of the Big Three on course to hold his powerful position through fiscal 2015. A local-aid increase would provide state representatives with campaign fodder as they make the case in their districts for another term this November.

At last year's MMA convention, Patrick asked attendees to "engage like the adult leaders we're supposed to be" and to support his push for $1.9 billion in new taxes. The Legislature passed a scaled down tax bill last summer over Patrick's veto.

Local officials, who supplement property-tax revenues with local aid to pay for municipal services, have over the years chafed at the Legislature and governor for missing the April 1 deadline for notifying municipalities of their Chapter 90 road repair funding. DeLeo said lawmakers would "strive to beat the April 1 deadline."

Last year, Patrick signed a $300 million Chapter 90 bill, but expressing concern that state revenues could not support that full amount. The administration wound up releasing $200 million.

DeLeo said he was a selectman in Winthrop, before the town changed into the town council form of government, and he has "learned that it is important to stay close to my roots."

"I got the nickname my first couple of years, they called me the selectman who never quite realized he's now in the Statehouse, but I think that's really served me well over the years," DeLeo said.

Beckwith said eventually he would like a more consistent framework for the annual local-aid appropriations, and said they should stick to the rate of growth of the state's economy. Ahead of the budget talks, legislative and administration officials agreed to a potential gross state product growth rate of 3.6 percent.

Burgeoning revenues also prompted state officials to recently agree to an accelerated schedule of funding state pensions, and spurred Patrick to craft a budget that draws less from the state reserves than years past.

DeLeo said he spoke with Dempsey Thursday night to "warn him" about his planned local-aid announcement, and said Dempsey not yet determined how to account for a local-aid increase.

"As a former local elected official, I fully understand the importance of providing the resources, but to be very honest with you he hasn't made a recommendation," DeLeo said. "It's premature to say whether it comes from there; whether it comes from another account."

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sun. So keep it civil.